Hari Om Parents,
Today was the fourth class of Balavihar!! Here is the summary of what we covered in the class today:
Opening Prayers: All of us assembled in our classroom 'Giridhari', we all chanted three OMs and then chanted the Opening Prayers - Sahana Vavatu. Some of the kids individually chanted it after.
Sloka time : We chanted Ganesh Sloka-Ekadantam Mahakayam together and Some of the kids individually chanted it. And then we made the rest of the kids repeat with us individually.
Introduction of the Letter of the day : We discussed that we are learning the Vedanta alphabet and recaped that Letter A is for Aspiration -Strong determination to achieve our goal. We can fulfill our Aspiration through hard work.
And then moved onto Letter B - Brotherhood is a Sense of togetherness and belonging among members of a family, neighborhood, city, organization and the world.
And Brotherhood can be achieved by Realizing that each individual is unique and every individual bringing forth unique characteristics make the world special. And the whole world is one big family.
Brainstorming : The Whole World is My Family : We discussed together how we are part of Earth and how homes belong to neighborhoods, neighborhoods make up cities, cities together make up States, States together make up Countries, and Countries make up Continents and Continents make up Planet Earth which is our home. Kids actively participated and one of them took it further and explained how all of the Planets together make up the Big Universe.
And then we introduced "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - Vasudhaiva in Sanskrit refers to Mother Earth and Kutumba means Family - and hence it means that the Whole Earth , the Whole World is One Big Family.
Riddle : The meaning of HOME: Every happy person sees OM in their home. Home is where a family lives, and a family that prays together stays happy together.
HOME stands for H - Happy
OM - Lord
E - Ever
Yoga : We started with stretching exercises, Tree pose and Lion pose.
Story Time: Through the story of The Complete Picture - we learnt that just like crayons, each of us are unique and special. Only by respecting each other's individuality, and living in the brotherhood spirit, we together complete the picture of life.
Activity: Sharing is Brotherhood - Kids were asked to color the activity sheet using only one crayon, and if they needed another color to ask their friend who might have it. And through this, it was emphasized that Sharing is also a Brotherhood spirit. And that we can live together in harmony.
Quiet time: While kids were coloring, we listened to the Ganesh Sloka- Ekadantam in the Background.
Attendance: Attendance was taken and each kid responded by saying 'Hari Om'.
Exploration : Diwali Festival: We had a good discussion about the Diwali festival and how it's celebrated. Some of the kids responded very aptly that Diwali - is Festival of Lights, we light Diya to dispel darkness and welcome new things in our life.Kids gave very interesting responses about all the things we do like lighting diyas, doing rangoli, doing pooja, fireworks, sweets, delicious food, new clothes and giving sweets etc. to friends. And the kids were given a Diya coloring sheet and a write up about the Diwali festival.
Exit Ticket: Kids were asked to complete the Coloring sheet for Letter A, B and all of the Coloring Sheets provided so far and to practise the opening prayers and Ganesh Sloka.
Closing Prayers: We ended the session with the Closing Prayers.
Note: Next class is on Oct 30th, 2022 Please ensure kids have a folder to keep all of the coloring sheets provided. We will check the completed coloring sheets from earlier classes in the next class.
It was another very interactive and interesting session with kids, kids participated very well.Have a wonderful week ahead!!
Wishing you and your family a Very Happy and Prosperous Deepavali !!!
Pranams
Mahalakshmi & Chandarani.
